Brad Balfour interviews Wes Studi, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma who stars in the award-winning hit Avatar.

"Q: Avatar's native characters have some characteristics like indigenous peoples from Africa, but they seem so connected to Native American traditions -- the relationship with plants and animals, especially to the horses. Did you have an opportunity to infuse some of your own experience or ideas in the process?

WS: I think a lot of the research had been done on the part of the writers themselves already. But yes, I could certainly relate to what was on the printed page, and I think they had a good understanding of the situation from a general viewpoint.

And the idea that Native Americans are perhaps more connected to nature is reflected in the Na'vi connectedness of the tree and the roots that expand everywhere. And it's a Native American premise to life that everything is connected and that we're all related in one way or another and it's a matter of cause and effect.

You know the old story about the flapping of a butterfly in China has an effect on things that happen in Maine or someplace. It's all an interconnected being that we're a part of."

Get the Story:
Brad Balfour: Native American Wes Studi Is A Valued Player in Avatar (The Huffington Post 1/20)

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